In the biggest Premier League fixture of the weekend, Liverpool played host to Manchester City. There was plenty of drama as the away team won 2-1, but one man really struggled.
Both teams have won a league title in the past two seasons, but Arne Slot’s team came into the clash with a greater focus on finishing in a Champions League slot. They started the day in sixth, four points behind Chelsea in fifth.
As for Pep Guardiola’s men, they are still in the title race, but with Arsenal moving nine points clear yesterday, the pressure was on Man City to pick up a win at Anfield. It was a frantic game, with both teams having chances to take the lead.
The man for the big moment, however, was Dominik Szoboszlai, who belted in an absolutely stunning free-kick to put Liverpool ahead. That wasn’t enough to get the Reds all three points though, with Bernardo Silva levelling the scores in the 84th minute.
More drama followed right at the death when Man City won a penalty after Alisson Becker fouled Matheus Nunes. Erling Haaland stepped up to make it 2-1. Rayan Cherki then looked to have added a cherry on top with essentially the last kick of the game to make it 3-1, but VAR intervened to rule out the goal and send off Szoboszlai.
Regardless of the final result, it was clear to see in this game that 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is no longer the player he once was. In the past he would control games like this without breaking a sweat, but he struggled at Anfield. He lost the ball seven times in the game, and was dribbled past twice. He also had an error which led to a shot for Liverpool.
While it wasn’t a completely disastrous display, and City got the result in the end, there were plent of signs that Rodri just isn’t the footballer. Fans watching the game, some supporting City, some supporting Liverpool, and others completely neutral were shocked by how off the pace he looked. One wrote: “Rodri is actually washed man.”
Another added: “Rodri is completely washed. City would be mad not to get a holding midfielder in the summer.” One more wrote:
“Rodri is a big liability to this city side he is no longer that player.”
Another added: “Rodri is beyond finished.” Before someone else asked: “Rodri what is this hall of shame performance.”
One City fan begged Guardiola to take him off, saying: “Take Rodri off. He can’t handle this intensity, even as per the statistics, he is the most “pressed” player in the league this season.”
